If you look into this weeks issue of the "New Yorker", there is a history of where "Van Dyke" originated. In the late 1970s, thousands of women because utopian separatists, leaving their male-dominated lives behind. Van Dykes, were a roving band of "van-driving vegans who shaved their heads, avoided speaking to men unless they were waiters or mechanics, and lived on the highways of North America for several years, stopping only on Women's Land (as founded by the separatists). The Van dykes were started by Heather Elizabeth (Lamar Van Dyke) and Ange Spaulding.

well, we named ourselves Van Dyke because of the obvious...but if it's any consolation, Ange had a perfect "Van Dyke" style beard and moustache that she only grew out once, just to see what it looked like. Caused quite the stir in bathrooms at rest areas. .....Lamar